Direct Connect Adapter Device

ABSTRACT

A vacuum attachment comprises of an enclosure housing upon which a direct connect central vacuum system inlet valve is attached to one side. On the opposite side of this housing is attached an attachment fixture which is similar to that of a hose that would naturally attach to a portable vacuum cleaner for which it is made. Inside this housing is a coupling that couples the direct connect inlet valve to the attachment fixture so that particulate flows from the hose plugged into the inlet valve through the housing coupling through the attachment fixture and into a portable vacuum cleaner. A 110 volt cord comes from inside to outside of the housing where it is connected to the 110 volt wires of the direct connect central vacuum inlet.

RELATED APPLICATION

Provisional Patent Application—61/741/598

Current-Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 13/950,270

(Substitute specification included as requested.)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a need to make the job of cleaning an auditorium or classroom easier. Vacuum cleaning down long narrow isles and around chair and table legs in an auditorium or class room has proven to take a lot of time and effort when using standard portable vacuum cleaners. Experience has shown that time and effort can be saved when vacuuming with just a hose and attachment as is the case when a central vacuum system is used. Some buildings especially those with the floor consisting of a poured cement slab make installing a central vacuum system not possible or cost prohibitive. The invention of a direct connect adapter valve makes it possible to attach a central vacuum system direct connect hose to a portable vacuum cleaner in the same way that it would plug into a wall inlet of a central vacuum system. This makes it possible to clean an auditorium or classroom with the same ease of cleaning which is acquired with the usage a central vacuum cleaner. Portable vacuum sources using long hoses have been around a long time. The uniqueness of this invention is the obtained ability to plug a direct connect hose (readily available on the market) into a portable vacuum cleaner and then to proceed with the same ease and time saving attributes which one has when vacuuming with a central vacuum system.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an adapter which makes possible a direct connect central vacuum system hose (readily available for purchase on the open market) to attach to a portable vacuum cleaner in the same way this same hose would plug into a direct connect wall inlet which is part of a central vacuum system.

Therefore, a general object would be to be able to vacuum in a spatial area with the same ease that would be accomplished when vacuuming with a central vacuum system. This is because a vacuum tool attached to a wand which is attached to a hose is lighter in weight, smaller in size, and more maneuverable around objects in tight spaces. A standard portable vacuum cleaner always seems to be getting in the way in confined spaces because it is either being pushed, carried, or drug behind the user resulting in more effort being exerted to accomplish the task. Equipment that is less in weight and smaller in size takes less effort to accomplish a cleaning task. Unfortunately equipment smaller in size and weight has less cleaning power and the result is that more effort has to be exerted to accomplish the task. This may be ok if a person has a very small space to clean but where large areas are needed to be vacuumed the ideal is equipment that has less weight, is smaller in size, and has the most vacuum suction power. With a direct connect central vacuum system hose plugged into this adapter which is attached to a powerful portable vacuum cleaner a person is enabled to clean faster with less effort without sacrificing suction power.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 a is a perspective view of a direct connect central vacuum system hose plugged into the Direct Connect Adapter Device and attached to a portable vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 1 b is a perspective view of the progression of attachment from a direct connect central vacuum system hose to the Direct Connect Adapter Device to a portable vacuum cleaner.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an embodiment of a finished Direct Connect Adapter Device as pictured in FIG. 1 a and FIG. 1 b as looking from the side into the enclosure housing.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of parts that could make up an embodiment of a Direct Connect Adapter Device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A vacuum cleaner adapter device 9 for use with a standard portable vacuum cleaner having an inlet port according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 a-3 of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9 includes an enclosure housing 1, a direct connect central vacuum system inlet valve 2 (readily available for purchase on the open market), a connection fixture 3, an attachment fixture 4, and a power cord 5. In FIG. 1 a the diagram shows the concept of connecting a direct connect central vacuum system hose 8 to a portable vacuum cleaner by means of a direct connect adapter device 9. The direct connect central vacuum system hose 8 plugs into the direct connect central vacuum system inlet valve 2 which is part of the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9 which attaches and detaches to and from a portable vacuum cleaner. FIG. 1 b shows the hose 8, the adapter 9 and a portable vacuum 10 before they are attached. FIG. 1 b also shows the progression of attachment from hose 8 to adapter 9 to a portable vacuum cleaner 10. Now a further detailed description of parts which may be used to make up the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9.

The enclosure housing 1 is the part of the adapter device 9 upon which all the components 2,3,4,5 of the adapter device 9 are attached. It 1 may be any shape. It 1 may be any size. Preferably a six sided rectangular box shape may be used that is around the size of a central vacuum system direct connect inlet valve 2. One side of the rectangular shaped box with six sides may be open where a central vacuum system direct connect inlet valve 2 may attach using screws 13 similar to those supplied with the inlet valve 2. This side may be completely open compared to the other sides which may be made of metal or some other material. A means by which the screws 13 (screws are usually included with each inlet valve 2 purchased) attach to the enclosure housing 1 needs to be made. An example of how this may be done is shown by two plates 11 of the enclosure housing 1 in FIG. 3. Plates 11 of metal or some other material with an appropriate thickness may be attached to the enclosure housing 1 as is illustrated by 11 in FIG. 3. One preferred arrangement of the plates 11 may be a plate 11 at the top and another plate 11 at the bottom of and parallel to the open side of the enclosure housing 1. Whatever the arrangement of the plates 11 a means by which an inlet valve 2 may attach securely to the enclosure housing 1 is desired. FIG. 3 shows how in each of these plates 11 one hole 12 may be drilled that lines up with the holes of a direct connect inlet valve 2 so that the inlet valve 2 would fasten to the plates 11 in the same manner that an inlet valve would fasten to a mounting plate of a central vacuum system. The plates 11 need not be more than one but may be or may be one plate that accomplishes the same purpose that would allow the direct connect inlet valve 2 to securely be attached to the above mentioned enclosure housing 1. FIG. 2 shows the screws 13 or other means as an example of a valve 2 as it may be attached to an enclosure housing 1 as part of the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9. The direct connect inlet valve 2 used may be any central vacuum system inlet valve 2 which accepts any direct connect type central vacuum system hose 8 as is illustrated in FIG. 1 a as part of the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9. Two other parts 4, 5 also may be attached to the enclosure housing 1 which may be part of the adapter 9.

A direct connect central vacuum system hose 8 is made to plug into a direct connect central vacuum system inlet 2. When this inlet 2 becomes part of the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9 it becomes possible for a direct connect hose 8 to be plugged into the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9 which attaches to a vacuum cleaner (FIG. 1 a). In FIG. 2 the inlet valve 2 as part of the Adapter 9 can be seen illustrated. This valve 2 would attach to the enclosure housing 1 through screws 13 (FIG. 2) or other means usually supplied with the valve 2 when purchased. This type inlet valve 2 may be one currently available on the market or one of similar type made in the future.

Connected to the side of the enclosure housing 1 which may be opposite to the inlet valve 2 may be connected a part called the attachment fixture 4. This fixture 4 may comprise a part of a vacuum cleaner hose that is similar to the commonly known part of a vacuum cleaner hose called the machine end. The machine end of a vacuum cleaner hose attaches and detaches to and from a vacuum cleaner. In contrast, the other end of a vacuum cleaner hose usually attaches to a cleaning attachment. This machine end or a variation of it of which an attachment fixture 4 may comprise is the means by which the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9 may be able to attach and detach form a portable vacuum cleaner. Different vacuum cleaners use different hose machine ends and therefore a similar corresponding hose machine end of a particular vacuum cleaner could be used as part of the adapter 9 to allow the adapter to attach to that particular vacuum cleaner. The adapter 9 by means of an attachment fixture 4 would replace the hose supplied with a vacuum cleaner allowing the vacuum cleaner to use a direct connect central vacuum system hose 8. An opening 13 (FIG. 3) may be made in the enclosure housing 1 through which the attachment fixture enters. Preferably this opening 13 (FIG. 3) may be on the side of the enclosure housing 1 opposite the inlet valve 2. This opening 13 may be any shape but preferably a shape whether round, square, or other that would conform to the shape of the attachment fixture 4. The means of attaching this attachment fixture 4 to a vacuum cleaner may be by screwing on, pushing in, plugging in or any other means similar to the way in which the hose supplied with a particular vacuum cleaner would attach. The means by which the attachment fixture 4 may be secured to the enclosure housing 1 may be by means of common attachment devices such as screws, pop rivets, glue or any means that will attach the fixture 4 to the housing 1 without becoming detached. An example of an attachment fixture 4 that may attach to the enclosure housing 1 of the Direct Connect Adapter Device 9 may be seen in FIG. 2.

Connecting the inlet valve 2 to the attachment fixture 4 is a part that is called a connection fixture 3 (FIG. 3 & FIG. 2).This fixture 3 purposes to connect the inlet valve 2 to the attachment fixture 4 inside of the enclosure housing 1. Another purpose for this connection fixture 3 is to be a seal so that particulate being vacuumed up into a hose 8, passes through the inlet valve 2, into the connection fixture 3, into the attachment fixture (parts of the adapter 9), and into a portable vacuum cleaner 10 with out particulate escaping into or outside of the adapter 9. A connection fixture 3 may be made of plastic, metal or some other material. Under certain conditions the connection fixture 3 may function also as a reducer because an inlet valve 2 stem is of different size and or shape than the connection fixture 3 stem. This connection fixture 3 stem may be round or may be any size or shape that functions as part of the adapter 9. By use of O rings, silicon sealant, glue, or other means, the connection fixture 3 can be sealed so that particulate can not escape out side the adapter 9. This connection fixture may slip over the stem of the inlet valve 2 and may slip over the stem of the attachment fixture 4 as can be seen by example in FIG. 2.

A 110 volt power cord 5 with a plug that would plug into a 110 volt power source receptacle of a vacuum cleaner to be used may be wired into the adapter device 9. This cord 5 needs to be of sufficient length as not to easily become unplugged. A hole 14 (FIG. 3) may be made in the enclosure housing 1 in order that a power cord may have entrance into the housing 1. A hole 14 may be made anywhere on the housing 1 that accommodates the ease of the cord 5 being plugged into a vacuum cleaner receptacle and also accommodates the inner assembling of the adapter 9. A hole 14 may be made so that it meets the required size for a strain relief 15 (FIG. 2) which may be used so that the cord 5 may be securely attached to the enclosure housing 1 of the adapter 9 (FIG. 2). To be connected electrically to a vacuum cleaner the cord 5 may use a plug, other means, or be hard wired. The enclosure housing 1 end of the cord may enter the enclosure housing through a strain relief 15 (FIG. 2) through a hole 14 (FIG. 3) in the housing 1. Once the cord has entered the enclosure housing 1 the 110 volt wires of the cord may be connected to the 110 volt wires of the inlet 2 using suitable means such as wire nuts, plastic crimp connectors, or any acceptable means 6 (FIG. 2). A ground wire may be attached 7 (FIG. 2) to the enclosure housing 1. 

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:
 1. A new device which makes possible a commonly called direct connect central vacuum system hose which may be readily purchasable in the marketplace to be used without any modification of said hose with a standard vacuum cleaner by means of an adapter I call a Direct Connect Adapter Device. This Direct Connect Adapter Device is assembled in such a way that one side attaches to the inlet port of a standard vacuum cleaner without any alteration of the inlet port of the vacuum cleaner. The opposite side of the Direct Connect Adapter Device uses a commonly called direct connect electric inlet valve which may be readily purchased in the marketplace. This inlet valve without alteration attaches to the above said direct connect central vacuum system hose in the same way that it would plug into the same inlet valve if said inlet valve were installed naturally in the wall of a house as part of a commonly called central vacuum system. The uniqueness of this Direct Connect Adapter Device is that it makes possible to vacuum with an electrified power rug attachment a carpet or any such thing using a standard vacuum cleaner. This makes vacuuming around obstacles like chair and desk legs and aisles a lot easier. It functions like a central vacuum system only its portable. The direct connect adapter device makes possible a new type of portable vacuum system using a standard vacuum cleaner. 